Busy lifestyles demand food that’s easy to pull together. And since I went mostly vegetarian 18 months ago, I find that it’s even more important to have veggie dishes handy, or some components already put together. For example, I try to have some containers of cooked beans in the refrigerator and freezer at all times. Ditto cooked grains. If I don’t, one of three things will happen: I’ll either fill up on high fat or high carb junk that just happens to be vegetarian, not get enough to eat and fill up on desserts, or have some of my husband’s meat.

This weekend, and today in particular, qualifies as busy. A close friend I’ve know for a long time is marrying the absolutely perfect woman for him, she’s great!, and he’s asked me to officiate the wedding. I’m so excited and honored to play a role in the festivities, and am a little nervous because I want to do a good job for them and have never actually done this before. Over the past month or more, I’ve been poring over books and internet sites garnering ideas for poems to quote, and words to articulate the fullness of emotions that embody a wedding of friends who have found each other in the chaos that reigns in the dating world.

So on a day that, without advance planning, was more likely to yield a latte and scone at Starbucks, instead I had tucked these little croquettes of vegetarian goodness to enjoy. I made them yesterday morning when I had an hour stretched out in front of me in the kitchen and just kept them refrigerated until today. I tossed together a quick tomato sauce and slipped the croquettes in the oven for a fantastic, light, warm lunch that will stand me well through all the wedding festivities until the reception this evening.

I don’t include a recipe for a tomato sauce – just use your favorite one, even if it’s out of a jar. The croquettes are great without it, but really just perfect with it, so it’s worth the extra little bit of trouble. These might not be the croquettes you typically see, I should add, as they’re baked instead of fried, and use a mixture of bread crumbs and cooked quinoa for the outside crust. All of which skinny up a croquette dish from my childhood.

Which brings me to this week’s #SundaySupper theme hosted by the fabulous Sunithi! #SundaySupper goes skinny this week. But don’t be alarmed, it’s not diet food, exactly. It’s favorite recipes skinnified by the Sunday Supper team. Healthy wholesome versions of your favorite foods! From Homemade Protein Bars, Skinny Beef Chili, Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad to Chocolate avocado cake and Tiramisu Parfaits, we got it all covered. So go take a look down below

Swiss Chard and Quinoa Croquettes

by Susan Pridmore

Makes 6 large croquettes

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

Olive oil

4 cups Swiss chard (or kale)

1 cup cooked quinoa (divided)

1 cup chopped yellow onion (1/2 medium-large onion)

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1 teaspoon Dijon country mustard

1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Several grinds of fresh pepper

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

3 cups of your favorite tomato sauce

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice the tomatoes in half, sprinkle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and slide into the oven. Roast for 20 minutes.

Remove the center stem from the chard or kale, and discard. Slice into thin slices across the width of the leaves. Wash thoroughly. Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil and slide the chard in. Simmer until thoroughly wilted, about seven minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze as much water out as possible. Set aside.

Heat one – two tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan and add the onion and shallots. Sauté until softened. Place in a large metal bowl. Add the chard and roasted tomatoes and 3/4 cup of the cooked quinoa.

In a separate bowl, whip together the remaining ingredients except the tomato sauce and bread crumbs.. When the onion mixture has cooled, stir in the egg mixture, and mix well. Add 2 tablespoons of the bread crumbs.

Combine the remaining 1/4 cup of cooked quinoa and 1/4 cup breadcrumbs in the bowl that held the egg mixture. There is likely just a little egg remaining in the bottom of the bowl. Mix together.

Form croquette domes with your hands and place on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet. Pat one to two tablespoons of the quinoa-breadcrumb coating on each of the croquettes.

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter each Sunday. We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. This week we will be sharing out special skinnified recipes! Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET and you do not want to miss out on the fun. Follow the#SundaySupper hash tag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. Check out our #SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos.

Join us Around the Family Table this Sunday at 7pm Eastern Time and share your favorite healthy recipes with us!

Those look crunchy and delicious, Susan! Quinoa is my new favorite but I have a hard time finding it in Dubai, sadly. I’ve been known to travel with a box or two in my suitcase when I get lucky elsewhere.

What an honor to be officiating at your friend’s wedding! Many blessings to them on their special day!

I’m horribly behind on responding to comments on my blog. I wanted to thank you for linking to my blog, and thanks so much for the support! I really appreciate it!!The Wimpy Vegetarian recently posted..Adzuki Beans with Miso and Chopped Kale

First of all congratulations on officiating at your friends wedding, best wishes to them and I know you will do an awesome job picking exactly the right words. The croquette is fabulous, very wise to keep healthful meals pre prepared or at least prepped ready to grab instead of the un-healthful alternative (although every now and then its ok). Best of luck with the ceremony and thanks for another great recipe.apuginthekitchen recently posted..Happy Valentines Day- Caramelized White Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate Madeleines And Chocolate Caramel Sauce

Love this! How simple and such a smart way to amp up the nutrition and cut down the calories. We’re going to feature this on our Facebook page and link here so people can see how you made it, and your lovely photography. If you wish, come LIKE us on Facebook for more recipes and tips on super healthy greens like kale, chard, beet, mustard, turnip, collard, escarole, dandelion and other green leafies. https://www.facebook.com/Cut.n.Clean.Greens

You know I love quinoa so am dying to try this !! Looks and sounds so hearty nourishing and healthy. Love that you have ricotta & cherry tomatoes in this. Thanks for the kind words and so glad you joined Sunday Supper this week in spite of your busy engagement ! Waiting to hear all about it !sunithi recently posted..Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo With Greek Yogurt & Coconut Oil #SundaySupper

I have always read recipes for chicken croquettes, or cheesy croquettes. I think your recipe is really lovely, and sounds so full of flavor. I definitely don’t work with swiss chard enough, it is delicious:-) Hugs, TerraTerra recently posted..Homemade Focaccia Bread {AND my snow day fun!}

How gorgeous these croquettes look sitting on top of the red tomatoes! I love quinoa and swiss chard – looking forward to trying this recipe.Shelby | Diabetic Foodie recently posted..Italian Sub Salad for #SundaySupper

Oh yes – life is so much easier with a few containers of cooked beans, soup or leftovers in the freezer!! This croquette looks delicious! I love the list of ingredients – quite different from most croquettes I’ve seen. Talk about a healthy meal and a full meal!mjskit recently posted..Steel Cut Oats – A Quick and Healthy Breakfast

Susan, what an amazing experience it’ll be to officiate at your friend’s wedding! You’re going to be great. And it’s a good idea to make beans and grains in advance to keep int he fridge. I hate those days where I get home after a long, stressful day of work and have to make everything from scratch. These croquettes feature two of my favourite things to eat and they look delicious!Nancy @ gottagetbaked recently posted..Chocolate avocado cake for a Skinny #SundaySupper

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Welcome!

I'm Susan, thank you for visiting my food blog! I'm a mostly vegetarian married to a mostly carnivore and am on a constant hunt for healthy, delicious recipes we'll both like. Most recipes here are vegetarian with tips for adding meat or fish for the meat-eaters at the table.

Whether you're vegetarian, or just wanting to eat less meat, I hope you'll find inspiration here to try something new to add to your own table.